Foday Sankoh

Foday Sankoh (17 October 1937-29 July 2003) was the founder and leader of the Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone.

Biography
Foday Sankoh was born on 17 October 1937 in Masang Mayoso, Sierra Leone to a Temne father and a Loko mother, and he joined the army of Sierra Leone in 1956. He was trained in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, and from 1971 to 1978 he was imprisoned for a mutiny and cashiered from the army. After his release, Sankoh met with radical youths and founded the Revolutionary United Front to overthrow the government of Sierra Leone, with mass rapes and amputations being used by the RUF against its enemies. He killed his own advisers when they complained about his tactics, but in March 1997 he was arrested in Nigeria and held until 1999. In 2000, he was arrested in Freetown when his soldiers gunned down protesters outside of his home, and his arrest led to celebrations across the country. He died of a stroke while awaiting trial.